Mustard gases, physical/chemical properties

Sulfur mustards are oxidized with strong oxidants and are hydrolyzed with alkali, generally producing reaction products that are less toxic. Reactions with chlorine or chlorinating agents such as NaOCl or Ca(OCl)2 yield nontoxic products. This reaction is suitable to inactivate and decontaminate sulfur mustards. The physical, chemical, and toxic properties of mustard gas and a few selective compounds of this class are outline below. 

Various other chemical agents which by their nature are capable of producing cross-linkages between polymer chains effect the same changes in physical properties that are observed in sulfur vulcanization. One of the best known of these agents is sulfur monochloride, which readily combines with two molecules of an olefin (the mustard gas reaction). Applied to rubber, it induces vulcanization even at moderate temperatures, the probable structure of the cross-linkage being... 

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